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Pastors struggle too—but you don’t have to struggle alone. Every Wednesday, Jon Hammond shares honest conversations about ministry, recovery, and the hope we find in Jesus. With real stories, practical...
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Pastors struggle too—but you don’t have to struggle alone. Every Wednesday, Jon Hammond shares honest conversations about ministry, recovery, and the hope we find in Jesus. With real stories, practical tools, and guest pastors who’ve walked the road of recovery, Pastors in Recovery is here to remind you: you are not alone, and healing is possible.
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13 MAY 2026 · Episode 90 - Called… But Not Ready Yet
What happens when someone feels genuinely called by God… but they’re not fully ready yet?
In Episode 90 of Pastors in Recovery, Jon Hammond talks honestly about one of the most difficult balancing acts pastors face: encouraging people in their calling while also protecting the church through wisdom, discernment, and healthy leadership boundaries. Drawing from personal experiences in Bible college, early ministry opportunities, painful leadership betrayals, and lessons learned the hard way, Jon explores the difference between charisma and character, gifting and grounding, passion and preparation. This episode dives into:
- why calling and readiness are not always the same thing
- the danger of releasing leaders too quickly
- how wounded pastors can swing toward control or unhealthy trust
- why healthy churches require both grace and discernment
- how leaders like Tommy Barnett and Rick Warren modeled healthy delegation and development
- and why pastors must seek God’s wisdom and trusted counsel when making leadership decisions
Most importantly, this episode reminds us that God often calls people long before He finishes shaping them. Because healthy pastors grow healthy churches. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
6 MAY 2026 · Episode 89 - Another Church Town
Sometimes the hardest part of ministry isn’t the sermon… it’s the moving truck.
In Episode 89 of the Pastors in Recovery podcast, Jon Hammond talks honestly about the emotional cost of relocating in ministry and how repeated church moves can deeply affect pastors, wives, and children.
New churches can bring excitement, opportunity, and fresh vision… but they can also leave families exhausted, uprooted, and quietly hurting. This episode explores the tension between genuine calling and the temptation to escape burnout, conflict, restlessness, or the pursuit of “something bigger.”
If you’ve ever packed boxes for another ministry move…
wondered how it affected your marriage…
or watched your children struggle with instability and loss…
this conversation is for you.
📖 Key Scripture:
Luke 14:28–30
1 Timothy 3:4–5
🎵 Includes the original song:
“Another Church Town” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
29 APR 2026 · Episode 88 - Struggling Children and You Can’t Fix It
Some of the deepest pain a parent can carry is watching a child struggle… and realizing you can’t fix it. In this honest and heartfelt episode of Pastors in Recovery, we talk about the heartbreak of loving teenage or adult children who are making difficult choices, drifting spiritually, resisting help, or blaming the very people trying to care for them.
For many parents, the dream slowly changes over time. First you hoped they’d love Jesus. Then maybe marry well. Then maybe just stay in church. Then maybe just find stability. Then maybe… just stay safe. And through it all, your love never got smaller. This episode is for parents carrying guilt, grief, confusion, and private tears. Especially those who feel like they failed when in reality they are dealing with something every loving parent eventually learns: You can love deeply… and still not control the outcome.
We’ll talk about:
• When helping gets called controlling
• Why parents carry guilt for choices they didn’t make
• Boundaries without losing love
• Hope when your child is far from where you dreamed they’d be
• Trusting God with what you cannot change
🎵 Featuring the original song: I'll Leave The Porch Light On
A moving reminder that even when you can’t walk their road for them, you can still keep the light on. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
22 APR 2026 · Episode 87 - Don’t Forget Her - Loving Your Wife When Life Gets Heavy
Sometimes in ministry, we give our best energy to everyone else… and the one closest to us gets what’s left.
In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, we take an honest look at what it means to truly love your wife—not just in words, but in presence, sacrifice, and everyday choices. With Mother’s Day approaching, this is a reminder that our wives don’t just need appreciation once a year… they need to know they’re not walking alone.
We’ll talk about:
• The quiet ways we drift at home while staying faithful in ministry
• What it really means to “lay down your life” for your wife
• How distraction and comparison can steal your affection
• Simple, tangible ways to step back in and love her well
This episode isn’t about guilt. It’s about returning. 🎵 Featuring the original song: “In Your Corner”
A powerful reminder of what it means to come back, stand beside her, and carry the weight together. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
15 APR 2026 · Episode 86 - I tried and it Didn't work (So I Stopped)
Have you ever tried to connect with someone… and it just didn’t go the way you hoped? Maybe it felt awkward. Maybe they didn’t respond. Maybe you walked away thinking, “That didn’t work… so I’m done.” In this episode, we go deeper than just surface-level connection. We talk about why many of us stop trying—not just because it didn’t work, but because it cost us something. Sometimes it’s rejection. Sometimes it’s comparison. And sometimes… it’s what we believe about ourselves. We unpack:
- Why one awkward moment doesn’t mean failure
- What happens when we feel “less than” in the room
- How wrong motives (like trying to climb or prove ourselves) can sabotage connection
- The hidden role of insecurity and overthinking
- And how living in the past or future keeps us from real relationships
Most importantly, we talk about how to shift out of “me-focused” thinking and into real, present, meaningful connection. If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation replaying everything you said… or avoided someone because you assumed they didn’t want to talk to you… this one is for you. You don’t have to perform your way into connection. You just have to be present. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
8 APR 2026 · Episode 85 - Loneliness by Choice | From Isolation to Connection
Loneliness is something many pastors feel—but what if part of the problem isn’t just what’s happening to us… but what we’re not doing about it? In
Episode 1, we talked about how real isolation is in ministry. But this episode is different. This is a practical conversation about what it actually looks like to move out of isolation and into connection. We talk about:
• The difference between healthy solitude and unhealthy isolation
• Why connection feels awkward and hard to initiate
• How shame (especially around hidden struggles) pushes us into hiding
• The lie that “everyone knows” what you’ve done—and why that’s not true
• How to reconnect in a healthy way: God → sponsor → others
• Simple, real-life strategies to build connection (coffee, calendars, conferences, and more)
• Why waiting for connection doesn’t work—and what it means to go first God often puts people in our path—but He doesn’t schedule our relationships for us.
If you’ve been feeling isolated, this episode gives you a simple, doable next step.
One person.
One text.
One step. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
AI-generated content
1 APR 2026 · Episode 84 - That Slow Drift | + Original Song "Drift"
What if you didn’t fall…
what if you just drifted?
In this episode of Pastors in Recovery, we talk about one of the most dangerous realities in ministry—the slow, almost invisible drift away from God. It doesn’t start with rebellion.
- It starts with distraction.
- Busyness.
- Fatigue.
- Numbing out.
- From King David staying home instead of going to war…to pastors today scrolling late at night, trying to find rest in all the wrong places—this episode exposes how drift really happens.
Whether you’re a young pastor just starting out, raising a family in the middle years, or feeling the weight of decades in ministry… the truth is the same: Drift doesn’t care what stage you’re in.
It happens quietly.
It happens gradually.
And in today’s world, it can happen faster than ever.
But there is hope. If you’ve been going through the motions…
if your fire has dimmed…
if your time with God has become something you do for others instead of with Him…
You haven’t fallen. You can come back.
🎵 Includes original song: “Drift”
A late-night, driving reflection on losing focus—and finding your way back. If this podcast is helping you, consider supporting Pastors in Recovery.
For just $2/month, you can help reach other pastors who are hurting and need a safe place to heal. (Link in description) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
25 MAR 2026 · Episode 83 - TSP | Part 9 - So That I May Be Reasonably Happy In This Life
What if the problem isn’t your life… but your expectations? In this episode, we unpack one of the most honest and freeing lines in the Serenity Prayer: “…so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next.” Many of us expect following God to make life easier. We expect obedience to be rewarded with comfort. And when that doesn’t happen, we quietly begin to feel disappointed—even with God. But the Serenity Prayer doesn’t promise a perfect life.
It invites us into something deeper: realistic expectations, lasting peace, and a shift in perspective. In this episode, we talk about:
- What “reasonably happy” really means
- How unrealistic expectations lead to disappointment
- Why life doesn’t suddenly become perfect in recovery or faith
- Letting go of control—especially with the people we love most
- The difference between peace now and ultimate joy later
Jon also shares a personal story about raising his kids, learning to release control, and finding peace in the middle of imperfect outcomes. If you’ve ever wondered why life still feels hard—even when you’re doing the right things—this episode will help realign your expectations and restore your hope. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
18 MAR 2026 · Episode 82 - TSP | Part 8 - Trusting That You Will Make All Things Right
In Episode 82 of the Pastors in Recovery Podcast, we continue our Serenity Prayer series by exploring the line: “Trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will.”
When many of us think about the will of God, we often focus on the big life questions—career, ministry opportunities, relationships, and the direction of our future. But the will of God is not only something we try to discover in the future. Much of it has already been revealed to us through the Word of God.
In this episode we talk about how God guides our lives through Scripture, prayer, the voice of the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom of others. Sometimes the answer we are searching for is not something new at all—it is returning to the last thing God already asked us to do. We also look at the story in 2 Kings 6, where Elisha asks a simple but profound question when the axe head falls into the water: “Where did it fall?” Before anything could be restored, they had to go back to where it was lost. In the same way, God often calls us back to obedience in the place where we first began.
Jon shares a personal story from his early years in youth ministry when discouragement and financial pressure made it tempting to move on to something bigger. Instead, he chose to stay—walking with the same group of students from junior high through graduation. Years later many of those students reached out, sharing how that consistency shaped their faith. Sometimes surrendering to God’s will doesn’t mean moving on to something new. Sometimes it means staying faithful to what God has already placed in front of us.
This episode also features an original song written for this message: “What If I Stay?” A reflection on the struggle pastors face when ministry becomes difficult and the quiet decision to surrender to God’s will rather than run toward greener pastures. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
AI-generated content
11 MAR 2026 · Episode 81 - TSP | Part 7 - Taking As Jesus Did This Sinful World + Song "Why Can't the World"
In Episode 81 of the Pastors in Recovery Podcast, we continue our Serenity Prayer series by reflecting on a powerful and difficult line: “Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.”
Many pastors begin ministry with a vision of how the world should be. We dream of healthy churches, healed marriages, honest leadership, and people who respond quickly to truth. But over time, reality can feel very different. Brokenness shows up in places we never expected—sometimes even inside the church.
In this episode, we talk honestly about the tension between our ideal expectations and the real world we serve in. Jesus understood the brokenness of the world better than anyone. Yet His life was not a series of frustrated reactions to disappointment. Instead, He entered the pain of the world with compassion. He wept over the lost, loved the hurting, and took purposeful action without trying to force people to change. Learning to accept the world as it is does not mean we stop caring. It means we stop trying to control what only God can transform.
This episode invites pastors to release unrealistic expectations, trust God in the middle of brokenness, and rediscover the peace that comes from surrender. The episode closes with an original song written for this message: “Why Can’t the World Be Like I Want It to Be” A reflection on youthful idealism, the disappointments of ministry, and the grace we discover when we finally learn to see the world as it is—and trust God within it. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Supporters Club
14 FEB 2025 · Hey supporters club!
I need your help. I have a few questions for you that would provide me with really needed opinions on how I can add value to the supporters club.
Thank you! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
Supporters Club
Transcribed
28 SEP 2024 · This is another special edition of the podcast. Today we will be focusing on Sexual Addiction and the Ten ways to defeat it. These Ten steps are based on my own experience over the past ten years. I hope it encourages you. Please, bookmark, like and subscribe to this podcast. Thank you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
Supporters Club
Transcribed
1 SEP 2024 · This is a special episode, sort of an addendum to Episode 002 Stop Medicating the Pain. In this special episode I share for just a moment about what if you have already medicated the pain? What now? Spoiler: I share an AI song I wrote called "Don't Beat Yourself Up". It's country genre with a great message. Take a listen!
NOTE: The podcast mentions a website which has a broken link.
Please use the temp links:
For men:
http://www.tinyurl.com/pastorsrecoverymen
For women:
http://www.tinyurl.com/pastorsrecoverywomen Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pastors-in-recovery--6262503/support.
Connect :
🌐 http://www.pastorsinrecovery.com
🌐Facebook.com/pastorsinrecovery
📧 pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com
Find the Podcast:
▶️ Youtube.com/@pastorsinrecovery
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) search for Pastors in Recovery
Podcast Music:
🟢 Spotify and Apple Music (and all major streaming platforms) under Crashing Lyrics
▶️ Youtube.com/@crashinglyrics -> Pastors in Recovery Playlist
Pastors struggle too—but you don’t have to struggle alone. Every Wednesday, Jon Hammond shares honest conversations about ministry, recovery, and the hope we find in Jesus. With real stories, practical...
show more
Pastors struggle too—but you don’t have to struggle alone. Every Wednesday, Jon Hammond shares honest conversations about ministry, recovery, and the hope we find in Jesus. With real stories, practical tools, and guest pastors who’ve walked the road of recovery, Pastors in Recovery is here to remind you: you are not alone, and healing is possible.
show less
Information
| Author | Jon Hammond |
| Organization | Pastors in Recovery |
| Categories | Self-Improvement , Mental Health , How To |
| Website | - |
| pastorsinrecovery@gmail.com |
Copyright 2026 - Spreaker Inc. an iHeartMedia Company
